Christmas Lights are Fantastic

I absolutely love Christmas Lights.  They make me smile and feel warm inside.  Cheesy, I know, but I cannot help it.  Is it the tradition?  The beautiful glow?  Who knows?  All I know is I love them.

As I sit in my living room enjoying my tree and the lights outside I shake my head and think of an article I recently read.  It's about an anonymous neighbor in some other state who has been leaving messages in the mailboxes of his neighbors who have hung Christmas lights.  Apparently the note starts out benign, complementing the lights.  Then it proceeds to tell them how, because they put up the lights, they themselves are not Christians but pagans as the custom was originally a pagan ritual. 

And while his claims bare truth, that the lights originated with the pagans, I take issue with him deducing and telling others they therefore are not Christians.  Who made it that person's job to rain on other peoples' parade (or lights)?  And while in their twisted mind they may feel they are "teaching" their neighbors, these neighbors are not hurting anyone and did not ask for the "lesson."  And this person is forgetting half of the story. 

What this person fails to acknowledge is that the Church aligned holidays with pagan customs in order to convert pagans to Christianity, adopting some practices for familiarity and easy integration.  So is it John Q. Public's fault that what he follows as his Christian traditions happen to be in line with pagan practices?  Maybe Mr. Nasty Note should take it up with the men hundreds of years ago who set these principles in motion and not admonish his neighbor.

These pagan traditions have been given meaning in the Christian faith. For example, in this, literally darkest time of the year, I love the lights because I find it depressing that it is pitch black outside at 5 pm.  What I have always been taught is that Christ is the Light of the World and hanging Christmas lights reminds us of this and His love.  But because this now Christian tradition began under another belief that does not negate the meaning which has been adopted. 

And will Sir Gloom Giver be making the rounds on St. Patrick's Day?  Informing all of his neighbors that if they are not of Irish descent they may not partake in the celebrations?  Or that they cannot eat corned beef and cabbage as this is not an Irish tradition at all but an Irish-American tradition?  And what about Easter?  Another holiday with pagan connections.  Should people be prepared for another unsolicited sermon about eggs and bunnies?

I wish I knew where this mailbox meanie lived.  But instead of giving him a dose of his own medicine I would just asking him to spread joy not judgement.  Because at the end of the day we are all neighbors who are trying our best.  I for one encourage the lights and will enjoy all of them hung with care this holiday season no matter who strung them, Christian, pagan or otherwise!

See you later...

Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote in North to the Orient, “'For Sayonara, literally translated, "Since it must be so," of all the good-byes I have heard is the most beautiful. Unlike the Auf Wiedersehens and Au revoirs, it does not try to cheat itself by any bravado 'Till we meet again," any seductive to postpone the pain of separation. It does not evade the issue like the sturdy blinking Farewell.”

I reflect on this today as I said goodbye to a dear friend who is moving tomorrow.  We’ve had 2 Girls Nights and a Dinner and Drinks Outing all in the past two weeks to commemorate the event, but still I was not ready to say goodbye today.  And at our last Girls Night just the other evening I ensured I would see her today as to not have to yet acknowledge their impending departure. 

While not an old friend, she was a fast friend who I felt like I had known forever.  Someone I liked right away whose company I enjoyed.  Being one of the most open and supportive people I’ve ever met she helped me learn more about myself, push myself and be more comfortable with myself.   Her contributions to my life have been many and I am forever grateful.

And today, as she made it quick (like ripping off a bandage, I guess) I cried and wanted it to not be true.  I smiled as my son asked her to play Duck, Duck, Goose again although the parking lot was not the best place and it was not the best time.  Now she is not moving to Guam or some other remote location, but instead to St. Louis, an approximately 6 hour car ride.  But I am so sad knowing I will no longer see her multiple times a week, no longer at Girls Night Out or other events.  As we hugged again she said, "I'll see you later" and I know this is true, but the only thing that popped in my mind was "if it must be so."

And so it begins

So I began a blog FOREVER ago to track my family and share the precious happenings.  I successfully posted I think twice.  While I liked and enjoyed it, I had too many ideas on what to write.  So time passed and more time passed and I just fell out of the habit.  But did I ever really develop the habit in the first place as I think it is said it takes 2 weeks to develop a habit? 

I have thought about blogging every week but never got back in the saddle.  But I could not figure out why.  Lord knows I have a ton of thoughts and opinions.  And then I realized I needed another venue for those.  I will keep the one on my family to hopefully serve as a historian of the little things in our lives.  And now I have this one to entertain my rantings and ravings.

This should be interesting as while in the company of those other than my husband (who entertains my crazy notions, although I am not sure if it is because he has to or because he wants to), I usually refrain from controversial subjects or hard opinions.  However on here I am not worried about stepping on toes or offending others as you are welcome to look away at any time...that's if any one is ever looking at all.  HA!  So here we go...Take 2!